【4K中字】英媒首批試駕法拉利全新Roma敞篷版

【電話響聲】 No, you listen to me, your time is up, I don't care about your particular set of skills, I want my money, you got 24 hours to give me what I want, I don't want a half, and I don't want a quarter, I want all of it! Because if you don't, you know what will happen, don't you? You'll never see that pretty face again. 24 hours! This is a story of intrigue, a story of love, hate, crime and passion. It's the story of Ferrari's somewhat unwanted connection with the beautiful island of Sardinia. The story of the stunning Ferrari Roma Spider. You gotta love Sardinia. In case you don't know, it's an island off the coast of mainland Italy, famous for sardines, apparently. And it's a gorgeous place to drive an even more gorgeous car, the Roma Spider. And Ferrari is such a passionate brand, isn't it? Most people love it, but there are people out there who maybe aren't quite as keen on the brand. Call it jealousy, call it hatred, call it what you want, but Ferrari is well aware of that fact, and they have a solution. They've developed a Ferrari that even Ferrari haters can't help but love. The Roma Spider is the long-awaited convertible version of the Roma Coupe. It serves as the replacement to the Portofino, and before that the California. But unlike those cars, which featured a metal folding hardtop, this is a Spider with a fabric roof, chosen so a coupe and drop-top can coexist. The Roma Spider wasn't designed for your typical Ferrari demographic. This is a car that's designed for people who want to reward their success without ramming it down people's throats. It's not a car designed for people who want to take it to a local high street to show people how rich they are or how loud their exhaust is. And it also definitely wasn't designed for people who want to fly around a racetrack at 600 miles an hour. This car was designed for people who want to fly under the radar. Compared to many recent Ferraris, which are very busy in terms of their design, full of cuts and slashes, the Roma Spider is understated with an old-school, almost retro vibe, drawing inspiration from the Ferrari 250 GT of the 1960s. The bodywork is slender but with powerful athletic proportions, helped by offset wheels, 20 inches at the front and 21 at the rear. The face features a body-colored grille unlike almost anything else on the market. The tail is modern in contrast with lights that are set into the bodywork, with a large carbon fiber diffuser and a choice of tailpipe finishes, not to mention a small, delicate rear wing. The five-layer roof is especially impressive, particularly the material of the fabric itself, but also the matching roof cover. The whole thing folding down in 13.5 seconds at speeds of up to 37 miles an hour. There's only one bit on this car that I don't like, and it is the radar sensor for the adaptive cruise control and emergency braking system. It looks like it fell off a much cheaper car, which in fairness, it probably did. Apart from that, this is the best-looking Ferrari ever made. In fact, I'll go one further. This might actually be the best-looking car ever made. Don't at me. I'm not the only one that thinks so. In our time with the car, the people in the sleepy towns and villages of Sardinia seem to fall in love with it. Italians tend to love Ferraris, of course, but this felt different. Everyone who encountered a Roma Spider stops and stares, takes pictures, strikes up conversations, asks you to rev the engine or begs you to sit inside to soak up the absolutely stunning design. It might be a performance car, but it's also one that people will love for more emotional reasons. The Roma Spider has that X-factor, and I'm sure it's going to sell like hotcakes. But sometimes, being popular and attractive can bring you the wrong kind of attention. In 1988, after Enzo Ferrari died, a criminal gang from this island launched a plot that was as disturbing as it was elaborate. This gang was well-known in the Sardinian criminal underworld for smuggling drugs, guns and, maybe worst of all, kidnappings. Their idea was to steal the dead body of Enzo Ferrari from its final resting place at the family tomb in Modena and demand a ransom. Fortunately, Italian police became aware of the plan and deployed 300 investigators consisting of army and police officers to stop the plan before it started. They managed to arrest the group, capturing 34 individual gang members. Enzo's body was safe, and despite the passing of their influential leader, the Ferrari brand continues to go from strength to strength. I think I'll keep this one. Suits me. I think it's fair to say that Ferrari is quite a different company since Enzo Ferrari passed away. Back in the day, they were heavily focused on creating quite racy sports cars that appealed to their core demographic, people who loved speed. Nowadays, things are a little different, and I reckon they're trying to branch out a little more, and there's actually nothing really wrong with that. It has all the Ferrari fundamentals, including a 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 making 620PS and 760Nm, which makes it good for 0-62 in 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 198mph. Here's the thing, though. Even with all that performance, it still feels quite approachable. And that's because it delivers its power in a controlled way. Yes, it's rear-wheel drive, and you can light up those rear tyres, but the acceleration is progressive and predictable. At low revs, it's no more fierce than any family car. The Roma Spider doesn't need an expert to drive it in everyday conditions. And that's a good thing. I wouldn't trust my mum in an 812 Superfast or a 296 GTB. Those things will punish you if you're not on it. But in this, I would trust people without much driving experience no problem whatsoever. But having said that, I still get a real kick out of this thing. I love the engine, obviously. I'm also a big fan of this 8-speed DCT. The gearbox is very snappy. Not quite as snappy as some other Ferraris, but it's still very slick and very eager to change up and down the box. Also, the action from these paddles is tremendous. It's a really engaging box to use. The sound is pretty decent. They've tried to give it a slightly different tone to the coupe. They've tried to remove the boominess at the low end, but give it raspiness at the top end. And largely, they've been pretty successful. Where I love it especially is on the upshift. When it just pops, it makes a really cool noise. But let's face it, Ferrari V8s haven't sounded good since the 458s. Hell, even the Ferrari Purosangue, the SUV, sounds better than this. But then again, it is a naturally aspirated V12. How does it feel to drive? Rapid in the straight line, obviously, but in the bends, it's soft. It's like an over-exuberant puppy. Ferrari have kind of dialled out the harshness and the ferocity that you get in cars like the 296 and made this a much more liveable car. Ferrari steering is typically lightning fast. All you need is small inputs for big movements. But in this, they've dialled it back noticeably. This is much less responsive on the steering. It's not sluggish by any means, but it's more in line with an Aston Martin than a typical Ferrari. And the suspension, as plush as you like. I mean, I'm driving around in comfort mode most of the time. But if I dial it up into sport and even into track, the car still feels soft. There's definite lead in the bends. It's certainly not alarming, but there is certainly a lot of movement through these corners. That lateral movement can feel quite alarming at first, as if the Roma Spider wasn't built for being pushed. But you can push. And the harder you push, the better and more capable it feels. It seems to come alive when taken by the scruff of the neck, transforming from a comfortable GT to a responsive and capable sports car. Things I find annoying about the Roma Spider. First of all, the steering wheel. I love this gear change indicator up at the top, but the capacitive buttons in the middle can't stand them. Ferrari, to their credit, allow you to turn them on or off, so it's very difficult to activate them accidentally. But they're still way more tricky to use than normal traditional buttons. Also, remember that sensor I mentioned? The one thing I hate about the exterior design? Well, that allows for the automatic braking and lane departure warning. And it's quite annoying. It's always on in this car, which means if you're cruising through B roads and you step even a millimetre over that centre line, the car will beep and burp and try to pull you back into your lane. You can deactivate it, but it seems that you have to toggle that setting every single time you get into the car. Annoying. Screens. The one in front of me looks amazing. It's very high resolution and very clear. I'd almost go as far as to say it looks better than physical dials. But the infotainment screen in the centre looks horrible and the resolution is far lower. I will give them credit. They've moved Apple CarPlay to the central screen rather than leaving it on the driver display as it was in the Roma Coupe. But it's still not a good-looking display. As for the JBL stereo system, pretty terrible. It's really not befitting a car worth over £210,000. And finally, this wind deflector behind me, I would rate as probably a 2 out of 10. Whether you have it up or down, it doesn't seem to do anything whatsoever. I do wish the Valentino would give the engine and gearbox a different character in the most aggressive sport and race modes. Nothing much seems to change aside from the suspension stiffness, which always seems soft, and the interventions from the stability control. So in most driving situations, the car's character remains consistent. I'd prefer to feel either more or less aggression on demand. I still love it though. I mean, how can you be mad at a car that looks this damn good? Yes, it's a very different Ferrari. It's not as focused on outright performance. It's more accessible. But that's not such a bad thing because it means Ferrari now have a Ferrari for every occasion. And the real genius is that with this car, Ferrari will end up kidnapping a lot of fans from other brands. People who may never have considered owning a Ferrari, and hell, even people that might have actually hated the company. Ferrari has a very special set of skills, particularly an ability to capture the imagination of the car-loving public. Historically, it's done this through thoroughbred offerings, high-octane sports cars and hypercars built only to thrill. But with its latest additions, it's developing a portfolio that will capture hearts and minds for different reasons. The Roma is inspired by the past, built for the present and well on its way to becoming a classic of the future.